Preliminary Evaluation of Dimethyl Anthranilate as a Bird Repellent on Grapes

Abstract

A preliminary study was conducted to evaluate dimethyl anthranilate (DMA) as a bird repellent on grapes. Individually caged European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris L.) were offered 10 DMA-treated (0.10 M or 0.01 M) or untreated grapes for a 90-minute period with no other food source present. Ten birds each received the same treatment for 10 consecutive days. Birds offered DMA-treated grapes consumed significantly fewer grapes than birds offered non-treated grapes. Mean daily consumption of grapes per bird was 1.9, 2.2, and 3.9 for the high DMA, low DMA, and non-treated grapes, respectively.